Ursa Minor | |
larger map | |
Abbreviation | UMi |
Genitive | Ursae Minoris |
Meaning in English | Little Bear |
Right ascension | 15 h |
Declination | 70° |
Visible to latitude | Between 90° and -10° |
On meridian | 9 p.m., June 25 |
Area - Total | Ranked 56th 256 sq. deg. |
Number of stars with apparent magnitude < 3 | 2 |
Brightest star - Apparent magnitude | Polaris 2.02 |
Meteor showers | None |
Bordering constellations |
Ursa Minor is a constellation in the northern sky, whose name means the "Lesser Bear" in Latin. It is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also one of the 48 listed by Ptolemy. It is notable as the location of the north celestial pole, although this will change after some centuries due to the effects of precession.
Hera was not please with the placement of Callisto and Arcas in the sky, so she asked her nurse, Tethys, to help. Tethys, a marine goddess, cursed the constellations to forever circle the sky and never drop below the horizon, hence explaining why they are circumpolar.
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump